Leave your ego at the door:

It's easy to unleash your competitive side during yoga class.  As you try to imitate your teacher's flawless revolved triangle pose, you find yourself nashing your teeth, you feel your shoulders tense and you may even start comparing yourself to other students in the room.  Contrary to the phenomenon known as the Yoga Asana Championship, yoga is not a competitive sport.  In fact, when you push yourself past your edge, you increase your chances of getting hurt.

Buddhism and yogic philosophy teaches us that the ego isn't actually real. Teachers often compare the ego to a lake in the middle of a barren dessert. It's a mirage. Fighting with with it is like a mime struggling to climb out of a box. How can you fight a problem that doesn't exist?

As more and more advances in neurobiology are made - theories are emerging that attibute the sense of I-ness to a couple of chemicals produced in the brain.  Ego appears to be something beyond our control - similar to the way our heart continues to beat throughout the day without us having to try.

Even though ego appears to be something that just happens, there are ways to tame it and get it under control.

Here are some ways to recognize that your ego might be influencing your practice:

1. You forget to breathe - and when you do your inhalations and exhalations feel stressed 
2. You think everyone is looking at you
3. You start to feel uncomfortable in the outfit you're in (maybe you accidentally put your see through Lululemon pants on)
4. You push yourself beyond your edge and ignore pain
5. You compare yourself to the students around you 
6. You find yourself reumenating or getting angry about a conversation you had earlier in the day.  Maybe you start thinking about how you were right and the other person was wrong

So, what should you do if you start to notice your thoughts shift?

Observe your thoughts and let them pass.  Imagine your thoughts as words playing out on a movie screen in front of you.  Whatever you do, don't press the rewind button - if anything press fast forward!

"When ego loosens its hold—even a little—the sense of freedom is exponential."

Namaste!

Release You Inner Elephant

Stand Strong Little Tree

Down Dog, Up Dog and in between – my yoga mat gets a lot of use at home.  

Whether I’m trying to challenge myself with something new like Vasisthasana  or  I’m warming up with Sun Salutations, my toddler watches my every move. Lately, his curiosity has led him to the mat trying to imitate my practice.  

This week, I wanted him to grow some roots.  

At first, we looked outside at the mighty pines swaying in the wind.  We stared as the snow melted and gracefully slid off the branches.  Winter in New England hasn’t been easy on the trees this year.  Snapped branches and toppled trunks have led many to their ultimate demise.  But the trees with the strongest roots remain steady.  Nature has so many beautiful lessons to teach.

 Next, I introduced a book that has been sitting on the shelf since my son was an infant. Babar’s Yoga for Elephants, by Laurent De Brunhoff uses colorful illustrations and step-by-step instructions to guide your little one into fifteen poses.   It’s the perfect book if you want to introduce your child to yoga.  The descriptions are a little too daunting for a two-year-old. Instead, we used the pictures as our guide as we stepped, hopped and jumped into each pose.  

The first pose we practiced together was Tree Pose (Vrksasana).  

I didn’t get my expectations up – but much to my delight, he caught on during our second session.

Babar’s Yoga for Elephants, not only teaches yoga and meditation, it also takes you on a journey around the world.  From New York to Italy and from San Francisco to Greece Babar and friends use different postures to imitate famous landmarks.

It’s cute, it’s funny and it’s a great tool for teaching your kids yoga.  I highly recommend it!

RELAX AND DRAW STRENGTH FROM YOUR INNER ELEPHANT!

Namaste! 

Bad Day Buster: Legs up the Wall Pose

 Viparita Karani AKA Legs up the Wall Pose

 Tired, Stressed, feeling blue? Put your feet up.

Viparita Karani or Legs up the Wall pose works miracles if you've had a bad day.

It alleviates nervous exhaustion, boosts confidence and strengthens the mind body connection. Perhaps the best advantage of all, is that you emerge from the posture feeling more refreshed than if you had taken a short nap.

By going upside down, we can reverse the effects of "monkey mind." In this world of mult-tasking, "monkey mind" or scattered thoughts is a state that most of us experience every day. 

Legs up the wall has several physical benefits as well:

• Encourages smooth breathing
• Soothes the nervous system
• Relieves headaches
• Relaxes the digestive system
• Reduces varicose veins and swollen feet
• Gently stretches the back of the legs
• Returns blood from the legs to the heart - improving circulation
• Supports the lymphatic system by removing waste and toxins

So what are you waiting for? All you need is a few minutes and a wall!

If will feel awkward the first couple of times you practice

• Sit with your right hip touching the wall
• Place your palms on the floor just behind your sits bones
• Bring your knees to your chest and swing your legs up onto the wall
• Make sure that your legs are making firm contact with the wall
• Keep your feet flexed – but relaxed
• Bring your arms above your head and relax them onto the floor in cactus pose
• If your forehead is lower than your chin - place a blanket underneath your head
• Breathe into this posture for 3 to 10 minutes
• If you start to feel pins and needles in your legs – simply bend your legs and press the souls of your feet together. This will help the blood circulate back into your legs
• When you are ready, hug your knees to your chest and roll over to the right side
• Using your arms - push your way up to a seated position
• Sit quietly for a few minutes.  Notice how you feel. 

WARNING:  DO NOT DO LEGS UP THE WALL POSE IF YOU HAVE SERIOUS BACK, NECK OR EYE PROBLEMS.